Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TRACKING ONLINE ADVERTISING USING PAYMENT SERVICES
BACKGROUND
[0001] Online advertising has become a significant aspect of computing
environments, as it presents a powerful way for advertisers to market their
products and
services. For instance, online advertising is often more likely to allow
advertisers to
effectively deliver advertisements to their target audiences as compared with
traditional
media advertising, such as newspapers, magazines, and radio. Additionally,
there are a
variety of advertisement systems and methods for delivering online
advertisements for
presentation to users. Generally, online advertising includes any form of
advertising that
uses computer network environments to deliver advertisements and other
marketing
messages to potential customers. For instance, advertisements may be presented
within
web pages, search engine search results, online video games, advertisement-
based
software applications, and email messages, to name a few. A wide variety of
additional
approaches and environments exist for delivering online advertising for
presentation to
users.
[0002] Despite the advantages of online advertising, tracking the
effectiveness of
online advertisements, especially in the offline setting, has proven to be
difficult.
Although in some cases users may purchase products and services online
(thereby
allowing the online advertising and purchasing to be more easily correlated),
determining
that online advertising is effective when users purchase products and services
offline is
more challenging. For example, a user might search for a digital camera
online, look at a
variety of online advertisements, perform research online, but then decide to
buy the
camera offline, for instance, at a "brick and mortar" store. In such a
situation, it is difficult
to link the offline purchase to the online activity and the online
advertisements that led to
the purchase. Even in an online setting, a user may purchase a product or
service separate
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from an online advertisement that may have led to the purchase, making it
difficult to
attribute that purchase to the online advertisement.
[0003] Additionally, advertisers often wish to provide offers, such as rebates
and
incentives, to persuade potential customers to purchase their products and
services.
However, it has proven difficult to provide such offers to users from online
advertisements
when users purchase the goods or services offline. One approach is to provide
a coupon
via an online advertisement that the user can print and use at an offline
location. For
example, a user may view an online advertisement for a digital camera that
includes a
rebate coupon. The user may print and bring the coupon to an offline store to
obtain the
rebate when purchasing the camera. However, users may find this approach
cumbersome
as users must print the coupon and bring the coupon to the store.
Additionally, when
advertisers wish to provide incentives rather than rebates (e.g., frequent
flyer miles,
reward points, etc.), it is more difficult to provide such incentives to users
when the users
make offline purchases.
SUMMARY
[0004] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a
simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description.
This
summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the
claimed
subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the
scope of the
claimed subject matter.
[0005] Embodiments of the present invention relate to, among other things,
using a
payment service to identify completion of activities associated with offers
extended to
users through online advertising. Online activity of a user is tracked, and
offers associated
with advertisements presented to the user are identified. The offers generally
include
rebates and/or incentives extended to the user in exchange for the user
performing a
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desired activity, such as purchasing an advertiser's product or service.
Information
regarding the offer (and, in some cases, the online activity generally) is
stored.
Additionally, information regarding the offer is communicated to a payment
service that
facilitates payment using payment cards, such as credit cards and debit cards,
for instance,
or other payment mechanisms. Through transactions performed by the user using
the
user's payment card or other payment mechanism, the payment service identifies
when the
user has performed the activity associated with the offer. In some
embodiments,
information regarding completion of the activity is associated with the
information
regarding the offer and/or the user's online activities. Additionally, in some
embodiments,
the rebate and/or incentive for the offer is provided to the user based on
completion of the
desired activity.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to
the
attached drawing figures, wherein:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing environment
suitable
for use in implementing the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary system in which embodiments
of the present invention may be employed;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an overall operation of a service for
tracking online activity and offline activity for offers provided by online
advertisements in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 4 is flow diagram showing a method for tracking a user's online
activity and providing information regarding the online activity to a payment
service in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
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[0011] FIG. 5 is flow diagram showing a method for receiving offer information
for a user at a payment service and identifying the occurrence of user
activity that is
associated with the offer in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention; and
[0012] FIG. 6 is flow diagram showing a method for receiving information
regarding activity completed for an offer and associating the offer activity
information
with online activity information in accordance with an embodiment of the
present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] The subject matter of the present invention is described with
specificity
herein to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not
intended to
limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that
the claimed
subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different
steps or
combinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, in
conjunction with
other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms "step"
and/or "block"
may be used herein to connote different elements of methods employed, the
terms should
not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various
steps herein
disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly
described.
[0014] Embodiments of the present invention relate to, among other things,
tracking offers provided to users via online advertising and using payment
services
networks to facilitate recognizing that users have completed activities such
that the users
should be provided a rebate or incentive associated with the offers. As such,
embodiments
provide a service that allows users to redeem incentives and rebates from
online
advertisements when performing activities using payment cards or other payment
mechanisms, including offline activities such as purchasing products or
services from a
"brick and mortar" store. Additionally, embodiments allow purchasing and other
activity,
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including offline activity, to be identified and associated with the online
activity that led to
the purchase or other activity, thereby allowing the effectiveness of online
advertising to
be more accurately realized.
[0015] In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, online
advertisements may be delivered to a user in a variety of different online
environments.
Generally, as used herein, "online advertisements" include any form of
advertising
delivered to users through network environments, such as the Internet. For
instance,
advertisements may be presented on web pages viewed while web browsing, with
search
results returned from search queries, within advertisement-based software
applications,
within video gaming applications, within instant messaging applications, and
within email
messages.
[0016] The user's interaction with the online advertisements is tracked by a
tracking service, which may track information such as advertisements viewed by
the user,
the number of times a user has viewed a particular advertisement, whether a
user has
hovered over an advertisement, and/or whether a user has selected an
advertisement. In
some embodiments, the tracking service may also track additional information
regarding
the user's online activity beyond interaction with online advertisements. For
instance, the
tracking service may track information such as web pages viewed by the user,
search
queries submitted by the user, and search results selected by a user.
Generally, as used
herein, "online activity" refers to any type of computing activity that
includes some
interaction with a network environment. Although online activity often
includes
computing activity that occurs while the user's computing device is connected
to the
networked environment (e.g., "online"), in some cases, computing activity that
occurs
while the user's computing device is not connected to the network environment
(e.g.,
"offline") may be considered as online activity. For instance, advertisements
may be
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delivered to and cached by a user's computing device while the device is
online.
However, the user may interact with the advertisements while the computing
device is
offline, and information regarding such interaction may be communicated to the
network
environment when the computing device is again online.
[0017] In some cases, an advertisement delivered to the user may have an
associated offer for a user to redeem an incentive or rebate. As used herein,
the term
"offer" generally refers to any type of compensation or remuneration that
induces a user to
perform some activity desired by an advertiser. For example, in some
instances, an offer
may include a rebate for purchasing a product or service. In other instances,
an offer may
include an incentive other than a rebate, such as frequent flyer miles or
reward points that
may be redeemed by the user. The desired activity may include purchasing a
product or
service or may include performing some other activity that does not include a
purchase,
such as test driving an automobile, for instance. In embodiments, the activity
includes
"offline activity," including activity performed separate from an online
computing
environment in which the user performs online activity using the user's
computing device.
Although embodiments herein are discussed primarily in the context of a user
performing
offline activity corresponding with an offer, some embodiments are directed to
situations
in which the activity is an "online activity," such as a user employing a
payment card to
purchase a product or service online.
[0018] When the tracking service or an associated service identifies an
advertisement that has an associated offer, information regarding the user and
the offer is
communicated to a payment service used by the user. As used herein, a "payment
service"
includes any system that facilitates payment for products and/or services. In
some
embodiments, a payment service may be a system that facilitates payment using
payment
cards, such as credit cards and debit cards, for instance. By way of example
and not
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limitation, a payment service may be provided by a credit card company or a
bank. In
other embodiments, payment services may include systems that facilitate
payment using
other types of payment mechanisms. For instance, a payment service may employ
an
SMS (short message service) payment mechanism. As another example, checking
may be
employed as a payment mechanism by a payment service provided, for instance,
by a
bank.
[0019] The payment service associates information regarding the offer with the
user's account. Accordingly, when a user performs an activity using their
payment card or
other payment mechanism, the payment service receives information regarding
the
activity. As noted above, in some embodiments, the activity may be an offline
activity,
such as a user purchasing a product at a "brick and mortar" store using a
payment card or
other payment mechanism, while in other embodiments the activity may be an
online
activity, such as a user purchasing a product or service on the Internet using
a payment
card or other payment mechanism. In both embodiments, completion of an
activity
associated with an offer is recognized using a payment service.
[0020] The payment service may identify the offer associated with the
activity. By
recognizing that an activity for an offer has been completed, the rebate
and/or incentive for
the offer may be provided to the user based on the completion of that
activity. In some
embodiments, the payment service may also provide information regarding the
activity to
the tracking service or an associated service, which associates the activity
with the online
activity.
[0021] Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention provide a convenient
and seamless approach that allows users to receive rebates and/or incentives
from online
offers automatically when the users employ their payment cards or other
payment
mechanisms to perform activities associated with the online offers. Users are
not required
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to print coupons or perform other acts to receive the rebates and/or
incentives other than
using their payment cards or other payment mechanisms as they normally would.
Additionally, by associating information regarding activities performed by
users with
online activity, embodiments facilitate recognizing the effectiveness of
online advertising.
This is particularly useful when the activities are offline activities that
have proven
difficult to track. As such, the extent to which online advertising is the
source of users'
purchases and other activities desired by advertisers (as opposed to other
forms of
advertising) may be more accurately determined.
[0022] Based on information collected in accordance with embodiments of the
present invention, advertisers may determine how to better allocate their
marketing
budget. For instance, advertisers may make larger or smaller investments for
online
advertising depending upon the determined effectiveness of their online
advertising
campaigns. Additionally, if an advertiser has multiple online advertisements
and the
service described herein collects detailed information, the advertiser may
determine which
advertisements were more likely to lead to purchases and/or other desired user
activities.
Further, the information may allow advertisers to determine which online
environments
(e.g., specific web sites, etc.) were the most effective.
[0023] Accordingly, in one aspect, an embodiment of the present invention is
directed to one or more computer-storage media having computer-useable
instructions
embodied thereon for performing a method. The method includes tracking online
activity
for a user and identifying (404) an offer associated with an advertisement
presented during
the online activity. The offer extends a rebate and/or an incentive to the
user in exchange
for the user performing a desired activity. The method also includes storing
information
regarding the offer and sending information regarding the user and the offer
to a payment
service. The method further includes receiving information from the payment
service
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regarding performance of the desired activity by the user. The method still
further
includes associating the information regarding performance of the desired
activity by the
user with the information regarding the offer.
[0024] In another aspect of the invention, an embodiment is directed to one or
more computer-storage media having computer-useable instructions embodied
thereon for
performing a method. The method includes receiving information identifying the
user and
an offer associated with an advertisement presented to the user during online
activity of
the user. The information identifying the user and the offer being is received
at a payment
service. The offer extends at least one of a rebate and an incentive to the
user in exchange
for the user performing a desired activity. The method also includes
identifying
performance of the desired activity associated with the offer. The performance
of the
desired activity includes use of a payment mechanism associated with the
payment
service.
[0025] In a further embodiment, an aspect of the invention is directed to a
computerized system that includes one or more servers for tracking online
activity for a
user to identify an offer associated with an advertisement presented to the
user. The offer
extends a rebate or an incentive to the user in exchange for the user
performing a desired
activity. The one or more servers store information regarding the online
activity including
the offer. The one or more servers also communicate information regarding the
user and
the offer to a payment service that facilitates payments using payment cards.
The payment
service identifies offline activity performed by the user using a payment card
that
corresponds with the desired activity and communicates information regarding
the offline
activity to the one or more servers. The one or more servers associate the
information
regarding the offline activity with the information regarding the online
activity.
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[0026] Having described an overview of the present invention, an exemplary
operating environment in which various aspects of the present invention may be
implemented is described below in order to provide a general context for
various aspects
of the present invention. Referring initially to FIG. 1 in particular, an
exemplary operating
environment for implementing embodiments of the present invention is shown and
designated generally as computing device 100. Computing device 100 is but one
example
of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any
limitation as to the
scope of use or functionality of the invention. Neither should the computing
device 100
be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or
combination of components illustrated.
[0027] The invention may be described in the general context of computer code
or
machine-useable instructions, including computer-executable instructions such
as program
modules, being executed by a computer or other machine, such as a personal
data assistant
or other handheld device. Generally, program modules including routines,
programs,
objects, components, data structures, etc., refer to code that perform
particular tasks or
implement particular abstract data types. The invention may be practiced in a
variety of
system configurations, including hand-held devices, consumer electronics,
general-
purpose computers, more specialty computing devices, etc. The invention may
also be
practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by
remote-
processing devices that are linked through a communications network.
[0028] With reference to FIG. 1, computing device 100 includes a bus 110 that
directly or indirectly couples the following devices: memory 112, one or more
processors
114, one or more presentation components 116, input/output ports 118,
input/output
components 120, and an illustrative power supply 122. Bus 110 represents what
may be
one or more busses (such as an address bus, data bus, or combination thereof).
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the various blocks of FIG. 1 are shown with lines for the sake of clarity, in
reality,
delineating various components is not so clear, and metaphorically, the lines
would more
accurately be grey and fuzzy. For example, one may consider a presentation
component
such as a display device to be an I/O component. Also, processors have memory.
We
recognize that such is the nature of the art, and reiterate that the diagram
of FIG. 1 is
merely illustrative of an exemplary computing device that can be used in
connection with
one or more embodiments of the present invention. Distinction is not made
between such
categories as "workstation," "server," "laptop," "hand-held device," etc., as
all are
contemplated within the scope of FIG. 1 and reference to "computing device."
[0029] Computing device 100 typically includes a variety of computer-readable
media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed
by
computing device 100 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media,
removable and
non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable
media
may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage
media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable
media
implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as
computer-
readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.
Computer storage
media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other
memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk
storage,
magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic
storage
devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired
information and
which can be accessed by computing device 100. Communication media typically
embodies computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or
other data
in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism
and
includes any information delivery media. The term "modulated data signal"
means a
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signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a
manner as to
encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,
communication
media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection,
and
wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.
Combinations of
any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable
media.
[0030] Memory 112 includes computer-storage media in the form of volatile
and/or nonvolatile memory. The memory may be removable, nonremovable, or a
combination thereof. Exemplary hardware devices include solid-state memory,
hard
drives, optical-disc drives, etc. Computing device 100 includes one or more
processors
that read data from various entities such as memory 112 or I/O components 120.
Presentation component(s) 116 present data indications to a user or other
device.
Exemplary presentation components include a display device, speaker, printing
component, vibrating component, etc.
[0031] I/O ports 118 allow computing device 100 to be logically coupled to
other
devices including I/O components 120, some of which may be built in.
Illustrative
components include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner,
printer,
wireless device, etc.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram is shown of an exemplary
system
200 in which exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be employed.
It
should be understood that this and other arrangements described herein are set
forth only
as examples. Other arrangements and elements (e.g., machines, interfaces,
functions,
orders, and groupings of functions, etc.) can be used in addition to or
instead of those
shown, and some elements may be omitted altogether. Further, many of the
elements
described herein are functional entities that may be implemented as discrete
or distributed
components or in conjunction with other components, and in any suitable
combination and
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location. Various functions described herein as being performed by one or more
entities
may be carried out by hardware, firmware, and/or software. For instance,
various
functions may be carried out by a processor executing instructions stored in
memory.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, the system 200 includes, among other components not
shown, a user device 202, a tracking service 204, an advertising service 206,
a payment
service 208, and a payment card reader 210. Each of the components and
services shown
in FIG. 2 may be and/or include any type of computing device, such as
computing device
100 described with reference to FIG. 1, for example. It should be understood
that any
number of user devices, tracking services, advertising services, payment
services, and
payment card readers may be employed within the system 200 within the scope of
embodiments of the present invention. Additionally, other components not shown
may
also be included within the system 200.
[0034] The components within the system 200 may communicate with each other
via a network 212, which may include one or more wide area networks (WANs)
and/or
one or more local area networks (LANs), as well as one or more public
networks, such as
the Internet, and/or one or more private networks. Such networking
environments are
commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets, and the
Internet.
For instance, the network 212 may include one or more networks providing
network
services, such as those discussed herein. Packets may be routed in and among
the network
212 using protocols, such as the Internet Protocol (IP), and devices in
communication
within and among the network 212 may be identified by a network address, such
as an IP
address. Further, the network 212 may include a number of circuit-switched
networks,
such as the public-switched telephone network (PSTN), for example.
Additionally, the
network 212 may include one or more transactions networks for implementing
electronic
payment transactions for payment services.
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[0035] Generally, the system 200 of FIG. 2 provides services to a user 214
that
include identifying offers corresponding with advertisements presented to the
user 214
during online activity and associating the offers to the user's account with a
payment
service, such as the payment service 208. Accordingly, the user 212 may
receive a rebate
or an incentive when the user 212 performs an activity (including an offline
activity)
corresponding with an offer by using a payment card or other payment mechanism
associated with the payment service.
[0036] The advertising service 206 may include one or more servers or other
computing devices that may be employed to deliver advertisements to user
devices, such
as the user device 202. In some embodiments, the advertising service 206 may
be
provided by an advertising service provider. Although only a single
advertising service
206 is shown in FIG. 2, the system 200 may include any number of advertising
services
that may be provided by one or more advertising service providers.
Additionally, those
skilled in the art will recognize that advertising services may select and
deliver
advertisements to user devices, such as the user device 202, in a number of
different
manners. For instance, the advertising service 206 may provide advertisements
for
placement on web pages that may be requested by and viewed on the user device
202.
Additionally, the advertising service 206 may provide advertisements for
presentation with
search results from a search engine. Additionally, the advertising service 206
may deliver
advertisements to a client application residing on the user device 202, such
as an
advertisement-based software application, a gaming application, or an instant
messaging
application, for instance. Additionally, the advertising service 206 may
provided
contextual-based advertisements and/or advertisements targeted to the user 214
based on
any available information describing the user 214.
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[0037] The tracking service 204 may include one or more servers or other
computing devices that may be employed to track online activity for user
devices, such as
the user device 202. The tracking service 204 may be provided by a tracking
service
provider. In some embodiments, the tracking service provider and advertising
service
provider providing the advertising service 206 may be a single entity, while
in other
embodiments they are separate entities. Although only a single tracking
service 204 is
shown in FIG. 2, the system 200 may include any number of tracking services
204 that
may be provided by one or more tracking service providers.
[0038] In embodiments, the tracking service 204 tracks user interactions with
advertisements. For instance, the tracking service 204 may track interaction
with
advertisements delivered to the user device 202 from the advertising service
204. The
interaction may include, for instance, advertisements presented by the user
device 202, a
number of times a particular advertisement has been presented by the user
device 202,
whether a user has hovered over a presented advertisement (e.g., by using a
pointing
device to place a cursor over the advertisement), and/or whether a user has
selected a
presented advertisement (e.g., by using pointing device to select the
advertisement). In
further embodiments, the tracking service 204 may also track online activity
other than
user interactions with advertisements. For instance, the tracking service 204
may track
information such as web pages viewed by a user during web browsing, search
queries
submitted to a search engine, and search results selected by a user.
[0039] Those skilled in the art will recognize that a variety of techniques
may be
employed for tracking online activities of user devices, such as the user
device 202. For
instance, the tracking server 204 may employ cookies to track online
activities for the user
device 202. In some embodiments, a client application may reside on the user
device 202
to track activities and to communicate information regarding those activities
to the
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tracking server 204. In general, any mechanisms now known or later developed
for
tracking online activities of the user device 202 may be employed within the
scope of
embodiments of the present invention.
[0040] Information regarding a user's online activity may be stored. In
various
embodiments, the information regarding the online activity may be stored by
the tracking
service 204, the advertising service 206, and/or another service. The
information stored
may include information regarding user interactions with advertisements and/or
information regarding other online activity. Additionally, offers associated
with
advertisements presented to the user are identified, and information regarding
such offers
is communicated to the payment service 208. In various embodiments of the
invention,
the tracking service 204, advertising service 206, and/or another associated
service may
identify offers associated with the advertisements and communicate offer
information to
the payment service 208.
[0041] The payment service 208 generally may include one or more servers or
other computing devices that facilitate payments for user purchases using
payment cards,
such as credit cards and debit cards, for instance, or other payment
mechanisms. The
payment service 208 may be provided by a payment service provider, such as a
credit card
company or a bank, for instance, that is typically separate from the
advertising service
provider and/or tracking service provider. Although only a single payment
service 208 is
shown in FIG. 2, the system 200 may include any number of payment services
provided
by one or more payment service providers.
[0042] The payment service 208 receives offer information from the tacking
service 204, advertisement service 206, and/or other associated service and
associates the
information with a user account for the user 212. By associating the offer
information
with the user account, when activity corresponding with the offer is performed
by the user
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212 using a payment card or other payment mechanism, the activity may be
identified as
corresponding with the offer. For instance, the user 212 may visit a retail
store or other
offline location and perform some offline activity, such as making a purchase.
The user's
payment card is read by a payment card reader 210 at the offline location, and
information
is transmitted to the payment service 208, for example, though a transaction
network
facilitating electronic payment transactions.
[0043] In some embodiments, the payment service 208 may communicate
information regarding the activity completed for an offer to the tracking
service 204,
advertisement service 206, and/or other associated service, which may
associate the offer
activity with the online activity. The information regarding the offer
activity may simply
indicate that a required activity for an offer has been completed or may
include more
detailed information regarding the activity, such as, for instance, products
or services
purchased, price paid, purchase location, and time/date of a transaction.
[0044] Upon completing activity for a given offer, the user 212 may be
provided a
rebate or incentive for the offer. The rebate or incentive may be provided to
the user 212
in a variety of different manners within the scope of embodiments of the
present invention.
For instance, in one embodiment in which the offer includes a rebate, the
payment service
208 may provide a credit to the user's account or the payment price may be
reduced at the
time of the purchase. In another embodiment, the payment service 208 may
provide some
form of incentive such as reward points that may be redeemed by the user 212.
In further
embodiments, the tracking service 204, advertising service 206, and/or other
associated
service may facilitate providing a reward or incentive to the user 212 based
on information
received from the payment service. For instance, the tracking service 204,
advertising
service 206, and/or other associated service could provide reward points that
may be
redeemed by the user 212 or could provide a rebate check. In some cases, the
advertiser
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associated with the offer may compensative the tracking service 204,
advertising service
206, payment service 208, and/or other associated service for providing the
rebate or
incentive to the user 212. In some embodiments, the tracking service 204,
advertising
service 206, payment service 208, and/or other associated service may provide
information
to an advertiser associated with an offer, who may then provide the rebate or
incentive to
the user 212. Any and all such variations are contemplated to be within the
scope of
embodiments of the present invention.
[0045] In some embodiments, the user 214 may be required to sign-up for the
services provided by the system 200 of FIG. 2. Generally, the user 214 may
sign up for
such services at any time, such as when web browsing, when clicking on an
advertisement,
or when the user 214 learns of the service. Additionally, the user 214 may
sign up for
such services in a number of different manners within embodiments of the
present
invention. For instance, the user 214 may sign up using a secure website
provided by the
tracking service provider and/or the payment service provider. In some
embodiments, for
security and privacy purposes, it may be preferable to require the user 214 to
sign up for
the service at a secure website provided by the payment service provider and
to prevent
the user 214 from having to provide any payment card account information to
the tracking
service 204 or another service. A unique identifier may be assigned to the
user 214 by the
tracking service 204, the payment service 208, or another associated service
and may be
used when tracking a user's online activity and/or when communicating
information
between the various services. The only information the tracking service 204,
advertisement service 206, and/or other associated service may need regarding
the user's
payment service account would be the particular payment service(s) with which
the user
214 has an account. For instance, in some embodiments, the tracking service
204 or other
associated service may partner with multiple different payment services. In
such
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embodiments, the tracking service 204 may need information identifying which
payment
service(s) with which the user 214 has a payment service account so that the
tracking
service may route offer information for the user 214 to the proper payment
service(s).
Additionally, the user 214 may have accounts with multiple payment services
and may
wish to employ more than one of those payment services for the services
discussed herein.
Accordingly, the user 214 could have multiple payment services eligible to
redeem a given
offer in some embodiments of the present invention. In other embodiments in
which the
tracking service 204 and/or advertising service 206 partners with only one
payment
service 208, such identification of the payment service 208 would not be
required.
[0046] A block diagram illustrating one specific operation of a service for
tracking
online activity and offline activity for offers provided by online
advertisements in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is provided in FIG. 3.
Although
FIG. 3 and the corresponding discussion below are directed to an embodiment in
which a
user 302 completes activity for an offer in an offline setting, as noted
previously,
embodiments of the present invention include a user completing an activity for
an offer in
an online setting. Additionally, although FIG. 3 and the corresponding
discussion below
describe an embodiment with specific interactions between a tracking service
306 and
payment service 308, other embodiments may include use of other services for
tracking
and associating online and offline activity.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 3, a tracking service 306 tracks online activity of a
user
302 employing a user device 304. The tracking service 306 may track
information
including user interactions with advertisements delivered to the user device
304, and, in
some cases, information regarding other online activity, such as web browsing,
searching,
and other online activities. In some embodiments, the tracking service 306
stores
information regarding the online activity.
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[0048] The tracking service 306 identifies offers associated with online
advertisements delivered to the user device 304, and communications
information
regarding the offers to a payment service 308. The information communicated
between
the tracking service 306 and the payment service 308 may include information
identifying
the user 302, and information identifying particular offers extended to the
user 302. Using
the user identifying information, the payment service 308 may associate the
offer
information with a user account for the user 302.
[0049] When the user 302 performs some activity at an offline location 310,
the
user's payment card may be read by a payment card reader at the offline
location 310. For
instance, the user 302 may purchase a product or service using their payment
card. In
some cases, the offline activity may not include a purchase. For example, an
offer may
provide an incentive to test drive an automobile. When the user 302 completes
the test
drive, the user's payment card may be read by a payment card reader to
indicate that the
test drive has been completed, although no payment transaction is performed.
As
indicated previously, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to
payment
services using payment cards and other payment mechanisms may be employed
within the
scope of embodiments.
[0050] Transaction information is communicated by the payment card reader at
the
offline location 310 to the payment service 308, for instance, through a
transaction
network. The transaction information is associated with the user's account at
the payment
service 308. Additionally, the payment service 308 may identify the offline
activity as
corresponding with offer information received from the tracking service 306.
[0051] The payment service 308 communicates information regarding the offline
activity to the tracking service 306. The information may identify the user
and indicate
the offer for which the offline activity was completed. In some embodiments,
the payment
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service 308 may provide more detailed information, such as the type of offline
activity,
information regarding a product or service purchased, a purchase price, the
offline location
310, and/or a time/date of the offline activity. The tracking service 306
associates the
information regarding the offline activity received from the payment service
with
information regarding the online activity for the user device 304.
[0052] Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow diagram is provided illustrating a
method
400 for tracking a user's online activity and providing information regarding
the online
activity to a payment service in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
Initially, as shown at block 402, a user's online activity is tracked by a
tracking service,
such as the tracking service 204 of FIG. 2. In embodiments, the tracking
service tracks
information regarding the user's interaction with advertisements presented
during the
online activity. For instance, the tracking service may track information
regarding
advertisements presented to the user, a number of times particular
advertisements are
presented to the user, advertisements a user hovered over, and advertisements
selected by
the user. In some embodiments, the tracking service may also track other
information
describing the user's online activity, such as, for instance, web pages
viewed, search
queries submitted, search results selected, and time/date information. As
noted previously,
a variety of approaches may be employed to track the user's online activity.
[0053] As shown at block 404, offers associated with advertisements presented
to
a user during the online activity are identified. The offers may include
rebates and/or
incentives that may be conditionally provided to the user based on some
activity
performed by the user. Information regarding offers corresponding with
advertisements
presented to the user are stored, as shown at block 406. In various
embodiments of the
present invention, offers may be identified and/or information regarding such
offers may
be stored based on one or more requirements. These requirements for a given
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advertisement may typically be defined by an advertiser associated with that
advertisement. For instance, in some cases, an offer may be identified and/or
stored for
the user when the corresponding advertisement is simply presented to the user.
In other
cases, an offer may be identified and/or stored for the user after the
advertisement has
been presented to the user a minimum number of times. In further cases, an
offer may be
identified and/or stored for the user when the user hovers over the
corresponding
advertisement. In still further cases, an offer may be identified and/or
stored when the
user selects the corresponding advertisement.
[0054] In some embodiments, in addition to storing information regarding
offers,
other information regarding the user's online activity may be tracked and
stored, such as
shown at block 408. Generally, any of a variety of different information
regarding a user's
online activities may be tracked and stored. By way of example only and not
limitation,
this information may include web pages viewed by the user, search queries
issued by the
user, search results selected by the user, and/or time/date information for
online activity.
Additionally, the tracking service and/or other associated service may store
specifics
regarding the advertisement corresponding with the offer. For instance, an
advertiser may
associate a similar offer with a variety of different advertisements. The
tracking service
and/or other associated service could identify and store which advertisement
was viewed
and/or selected by the user to receive the offer.
[0055] As shown at block 410, information identifying the user and an offer
now
associated with the user is sent to a payment service, such as the payment
service 208 of
FIG. 2. The user identifying information may be a unique user identifier,
although other
identifying information may be employed to identify the user in embodiments of
the
present invention. Additionally, the offer identifying information may be a
unique offer
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identifier, although other identifying information may be employed to identify
the offer in
embodiments of the present invention.
[0056] Turning to FIG. 5, a flow diagram is provided illustrating a method 500
for
receiving offer information for a user at a payment service and identifying
the occurrence
of user activity that is associated with the offer in accordance with an
embodiment of the
present invention. As shown at block 502, information identifying a user and
an offer is
received at a payment service, such as the payment service 208 of FIG. 2.
Generally, the
information may be received from a tracking service, such as the tracking
service 206 of
FIG. 2, and/or from another associated service, via a method such as that
described above
with reference to FIG. 4.
[0057] Based on the received information identifying the user, a user account
with
the payment service is identified, as shown at block 504. Generally, the user
identifying
information may be a unique user identifier, although other identifying
information may
be employed in embodiments of the present invention. At block 506, the offer
information
is associated with the user account at the payment service. The offer
information may be a
unique offer identifier, which may be associated with the user account,
although other
identifying information may be employed in embodiments of the present
invention.
[0058] As shown at block 508, activity corresponding with the offer is
identified.
The activity includes some activity performed by the user that is identified
through the use
of a payment card or other payment mechanism for the payment service. In some
embodiments, the activity comprises offline activity performed by the user in
an offline
setting. For instance, the offline activity may be a purchase at a retail
store using the
payment card. In other cases, a user may perform offline activity other than a
purchase,
which may be recognized by reading the user's payment card at the offline
location to
identify completion of the activity. For example, a user may test drive a car
at a
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automobile dealer, and the automobile dealer may read the user's payment card
to allow
the system to recognize that the user has completed the test drive. When the
user's
payment card is read at an offline location, information is provided to the
payment service
and associated with the user's account. Using this information, the payment
service may
identify that offline activity corresponding with the offer has been
performed.
[0059] After completion of the offer activity, the payment service sends
information identifying the user and the offer activity to the tracking
service or another
associated service, as shown at block 510. In some embodiments, the
information
identifying the offer activity may simply be information identifying the
offer, such as a
unique offer identifier. In other embodiments, the information may provide
more detail
information regarding the activity. By way of example only and not limitation,
the
information may identify the location of the activity, the time/date of the
activity, and/or
specifics of a product/service purchased.
[0060] Referring to FIG. 6, a flow diagram is provided illustrating a method
600
for a tracking service or other associated service to receive information
regarding activity
completed for an offer and to associate the offer activity information with
online activity
information. As shown at block 602, information identifying a user and
activity
corresponding with an offer is received at a tracking service, such as the
tracking service
206 of FIG. 2, or another associated service. Generally, the information may
be received
from a payment service, such as the payment service 208 of FIG. 2, via a
method such as
that described above with reference to FIG. 5.
[0061] The received information may include a unique user identifier to
identify
the user, although other ways of identifying the user may be employed in some
embodiments. Additionally, the information may identify the offer for which
activity has
been completed. The offer may be identified using a unique offer identifier,
although
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other ways of identifying the offer may be employed in some embodiments of the
present
invention. In some embodiments, the receiving information may include details
of the
activity completed for the offer. For instance, the information may include a
location at
which the activity was performed, a time/date of the activity, and/or
specifics regarding a
particular product/service purchased by the user.
[0062] Based on the user identifying information and the offer identifying
information, online activity information corresponding with the offer is
identified, as
shown at block 604. The information for the activity completed for the offer
may then be
associated with the online activity information, as shown at block 606.
[0063] As can be understood, embodiments of the present invention provide
services for tracking online activity including offers extended to users
through online
advertising and using a payment service to identify performance of activities
(including
offline activities in some embodiments) associated with the offers and the
online activity.
The present invention has been described in relation to particular
embodiments, which are
intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive.
Alternative embodiments
will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the
present invention
pertains without departing from its scope.
[0064] From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well
adapted to
attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other
advantages which are
obvious and inherent to the system and method. It will be understood that
certain features
and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to
other
features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope
of the
claims.
